New Hall School, voted TES Independent School of the Year, is a boarding and day school in Chelmsford for students aged 3-18.
The school is situated in beautiful grounds approached by a tree-lined Avenue yet just 30 minutes from London by train and with Stansted airport nearby. A school with a rich history, New Hall was founded in Liège in 1642 by the Canonesses of the Holy Sepulchre and moved to its current location based around the former Palace of Beaulieu, which once belonged to Henry VIII, in 1799.
Entering its 375th year, the school, which is now under lay leadership, retains its Catholic foundation and ethos, whilst welcoming those of all faiths. New Hall operates the incredibly successful Diamond Model, with a co-educational Preparatory School, single-sex teaching from 11-16 and co-education in the Sixth Form. This offers all the social benefits of a co-educational school, with mealtimes and activities together but separate teaching for boys and girls at the most important time in their development in terms of confidence in their learning.
Students may board from the age of 7 and a number of modern boarding options are available to fit around family life and enable students to take full advantage of activities on offer at the school: full, weekly and flexi (1-3 nights per week) boarding. The boarding houses offer a home-from-home environment with a dedicated team of staff in each house to support students in the transition to boarding life. A fantastic programme of weekend activities ranging from cinema and shopping trips to paintballing and Trampoline Park outings are arranged for boarders and older students are encouraged to organise social events for themselves as well as for the younger boarders.
A successful academic programme at New Hall equally supports those bound for Oxbridge and medical schools at the same time as nurturing those with special educational needs, who often make huge academic improvements during their time at the school. Alongside this runs the extensive co-curricular programme.
All pupils play in competitive sport fixtures whilst at New Hall, with a number also choosing to take part in the activities on offer after school and at the weekends such as the successful ski and equestrian teams. They benefit from the use of state-of-the-art sports facilities; including our 25-metre indoor swimming pool, flood lit courts and AstroTurf pitch, and national standard running track. New AstroTurf and 3G pitches are due for completion this term.
The performing arts are extremely popular, with a large number of students taking part in music, drama and dance lessons and ensembles on a weekly basis. A large number are entered for music, LAMDA and dance examinations every term to great success and there are fantastic productions and concerts each year.
New Hall provides a holistic approach to education, based on the belief that all children will find their strength in some field, whether academic or otherwise. We believe that New Hall School provides the best start in life.
